1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to smoke-flavour enhancing agents, a method of manufacture thereof and a method of enhancing the smoke flavour of a smoking material.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Flavour-enhancing agents may themselves contribute to the smoke flavour of a smoking material, but the present invention is more especially concerned with the provision of agents whose effect is to enhance the characteristic flavour of the smoking material itself, particularly a tobacco-characteristic flavour, without introducing undesirable flavour attributes. Apart from the evident possibility of obtaining new flavours or flavour tones, such agents provide an additional tool for the assistance of the tobacco blender whereby control for the attainment of a desired smoke-flavour can be exercised more reliably and/or with greater economy.
Compounds chemically related to sclareol and said to be useful as additives to tobacco are disclosed in United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 847,201 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,532. These compounds are disclosed as obtained by subjecting sclareol to chemical conversion processes.
Sclareol is a diterpene compound which is obtainable from the flowers of the Clary sage (Salvia sclarea) and from the flowers and leaves of Nicotiana glutinosa. A process for recovering sclareol from Clary sage is disclosed in U.K. Specification No. 879,958.